Camas

Ava eating a biter biscuit, she chewed on it for a couple minutes, rubbed it on her face and arm and then dropped it.
Went to Camas today to watch the girls. Steve came along with me since Des

was home with Rielee. We had a fun day with them, watching them on the floor trying to crawl. There was one scary moment though, when Harper rolled over and landed right beside Ava, and Ava, who was just today starting to pick up her arms when she is on her hands and knees, picked up her hand and planted it right in the middle of Harper's face, with some force, too, I could just see an injury with those sharp little fingernails digging in-but I got her off before anything happened, besides a little screaming from Harper, of course. It is getting interesting as they move around more each day and run into each other. Now they are swiveling around on their tummies.

We took them to Walmart for a little shopping today. Steve said people were doing double-takes looking at us pushing the cart, probably wondering where that old couple got those twins...

Papa doing what he does best-taking a 2 hour afternoon nap with Harper.

Two times the mess

Our house always seems to be a mess when the twins are here, scattered from one end to the other with baby stuff, I give up trying to keep things neat. Today they went through several changes of clothes with diaper blow-outs and spit-ups. We always laugh when we come back home after dropping them off and the place looks like a tornado hit.

Emmy was back from her spring break trip to Florida so she came over to visit her cousins. They kept grabbing her hair and necklace when she was holding them.

Ava can up pretty well now.

Harper took off her sock to chew on it and then took off crawling with it, well, doing her little version of an Army crawl anyway...

Jillian sitting in the baby's walker, okay, so I forgot that you are supposed to tell her "show me your teeth" to get a good smile, I said "smile" and got the one-eyed Pirate look.

Scooting babies

Rielee with another strange hairdo, she had on one of the babies little headbands. We had a busy day today. We played Barbies this morning, she gave several of her Barbies much needed haircuts, and then we played pretend volleyball with a balloon. She went with Papa to the feed store to get some chicken feed and some chain to hang up the swing we got for the babies. The baby chicks are in so she was thrilled, and begged to bring some of them home. No, no, and no, was the answer--our chicken farming days are over, now we just run a chicken retirement home with one 12 year old hen as its only resident...

Papa and Ava. The girls are scooting around on their tummies more now, Harper pulls herself forward now with her arms and then rolls to the left. Ava is still getting up on hands and knees, moving her knees forward to crawl, but the arms don't move yet and she goes falls backwards. They get very frustrated if you put them down on the floor by themselves, but if someone is down there with them, they will play for a long time. So we spent lots of time on the floor today, but gladly as they are so much fun to play with, so animated and they laugh easily.

We also got outside some, we took the babies out and watched Rielee play a little basketball. We took Harper for a stroller ride to find some Easter lilies (trilliums), she had on her flipflops and was gingerly walking through the brush looking out for blackberry vines when we saw a snake, she jumped up in the air a few times and screamed and took off for the house, no more walking in the brush without boots on, she decided. Then later we put Harper in the swing. She loved it, but I am not thrilled with this swing, which is a different design than the old one we had. Fine for an older child, Rielee tried it out, but for a baby this size the straps hit right by her face. I had to keep her hood up so they wouldn't rub.

Scootering

Since it was so nice today after school, Parker decided to redeem one of his birthday coupons for a ride on the Riverfront trail. I didn't want to drive the truck into town so I walked along instead of riding a bike, big mistake. They can cover a lot of ground on those little scooters. They like to ride through town, too, which is nerve-wracking for me since they aren't used to watching for cars. I had to stop them when they wanted to ride over the bridge and head out towards the trail behind the high school, so we just went over the bridge and turned right around and came back.

Rielee finds a pet

Usually when Papa picks up Rielee at school, she runs and jumps up in his arms, but today she didn't do that. Instead she said "don't touch my pocket Papa!" On the way to the truck he asked her why-what was in her pocket, and she pulled out a worm! She had found it at recess and when he asked her what she planned to do with it, she said she was going to take it home and keep it in her jewelry box. He said it was an awful looking little black worm, though, so he made her throw it back on the ground (it wiggled so she had taken good care of it while it was in her pocket).

Rielee red hair

Rielee spent Friday night with us, they dropped her off after the school carnival where she had her hair painted red.

We stayed up until after 11, watching some TV, looking at photo albums and she had Papa read to her, he was still reading the big Busy Town book, but he was so tired he kept falling asleep, so I had to finish it for him.

We slept in until 8, then got up and gave Rielee a bath to get rid of what was left of her red hair, she had hoped it might last until morning, but most of it was on her pillowcase. We had to go into town and get a new tube in her new/used bigger bike. She tried riding it a couple times when we got home, but is still kind of nervous on it. She got lots of quality time at the playfort and in the sandbox today, and played with Auna for a long time, too.

Our first shopping trip

Harper looks serious but Ava gave me a grin
I got brave this morning and took Ava and Harper shopping at Walmart. They were really good, just chewing on their toys and looking around. Found a toddler swing for them to use at the playfort and a few other odds and ends, couldn't have bought very much anyway since the cart was already full with their carseats. It was fun and nice to get out of the house for a little while. Later in the afternoon I took them for a stroller ride in the sunshine, which put them both right to sleep. They were sweethearts for me today, all in all, and Ava is getting better at her backwards crawl/scoot. Today she got off the rug and made fast progress across the smooth floor until she backed into the wall, unfortunately she was farther away from the toys she was after and it just made her mad.

St. Patrick's Day

As soon as the babies went down for their morning nap Rielee wanted to play Barbies. Ava woke up first so she had to join in the fun, although Rielee was frustrated because Ava kept drooling on the dolls. Today was a different Barbie session than usual, the horse in this picture got hurt and Rielee's Barbie thought he was a goner, but fortunately he made a miraculous recovery right in the middle of the memorial service the Barbies were having for him.

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Rielee made sure both babies were wearing green today and she was on the look-out for people not wearing green, she got to pinch Papa, me, and Emmy. She thought she was going to get Uncle Alan, too, until I saved her and pointed out the green eye of the Seahawk on his shirt. She was happy that I did, too, when he told her if she had mistakenly pinched him he could have got her back 10 times.
After we took the babies back to Charb, we went to watch Macee play softball. Macee played mostly on JV, but did get to move up and bat once for the Varsity.

Emmy's home!

Ava on hands and knees this morning. Harper can do this trick, too, but neither one of them are actually going anywhere yet.

Emmy and Harper

NEWS FLASH! The babies weren't afraid of Emmy this visit!! A first for them, in the past they would be instantly be giving her "the lip" and on the verge of tears--in total fear for their lives at the sight of their long, lost cousin! Needless to say, Emmy was thrilled that they were smiling and happy.

Emmy and Ava

I'm the coach

Rielee wanted to eat lunch with Papa out on the deck today, so we put Ava in the stroller so she could watch them eat. Ava and Harper were out of sorts today, tired and fussy, since they were up half the night, according to their parents, so being outside was a nice distraction for them.
Alan came over to visit, and we ended up visiting for quite a while, holding babies and enjoying the sunshine. Rielee did some bike riding and we took Ava for a stroller ride, then it was time for the babies to take a nap. Once they were down, Papa took Rielee out to shoot some hoops. He got a kick out of her today. She told him she was the coach, and then she told him "you take the ball Papa, go in and make a basket, and we'll get a trophy!"

Oh, and she has always loved Bean w/Bacon soup, its been a long time favorite. Today she told Papa, after dipping her carrots, crackers, and a sandwich in her soup (she loves to dip everything in her soup or milk)...that she liked the "juice" in the soup but really didn't like the beans at all...go figure.

First overnighter

Papa brought out his ukelele to distract the tired and slightly grumpy baby girls Saturday night-it worked, but Ava wasn't very impressed with his singing ability...

We offered to watch the babies Saturday night while Charb, Kelly, Lexi and Luke went to watch Union play for the 3A State Basketball Championship (which they won). We were surprised when Charb called us back and asked if they could spend the night! We weren't sure what to expect with girls, having heard stories of them not sleeping too well since they outgrew their swaddle blankets, but they were really good. They were asleep by 10:00 p.m., so I put Ava down in the Pack n' Play beside my bed, she slept there until 12:30. I gave her a bottle and tried to put her back down, but she was rooting around on her tummy and it was making me nervous that she might fall asleep with the blanket bunched up around her face so I brought her in bed with Harper and I, with them both on their backs. Harper woke up at 3:30 for a bottle, and woke up Ava, too, waving her arms and smacking her, so I gave her a little more formula also while she was awake and then they both slept until 7:30. Not bad for their first night away from Mom and Dad.
Ava is trying so hard to learn to crawl, she gets up on her hands and knees, but then goes backwards, which frustrates her terribly.

Friday in Camas

We sent the Jumperoo home with the babies last night so they could show their family how much fun they have on it and use it over the weekend. Needless to say, Mom, Dad, Luke and Lexi were really impressed with how wild the girls get using it. This morning they were up bright and early when I got there, ready to play. After an hour they were tired and needed to go back to sleep, but it wasn't easy getting them to go down for a nap. I tried rocking both of them together, but that didn't work since one or the other was just not quite comfortable. So I put Ava in her crib and walked Harper, but Ava screamed and Harper wasn't happy either, so we switched, still no luck. I was not ready to let either one-let alone both--cry it out, so I ended up giving Harper a small bottle in the swing, and she settled down and fell asleep. I fed and rocked Ava until she fell asleep and put her in the crib. Both girls sleep very lightly though, Ava woke several times and I would have to pat her back to get her to go back to sleep. Nap time is always a challenge when I have them by myself, since they are so used to being held and rocked or walked until they fall asleep.

Their afternoon nap was just about the same story, but Ava got the swing and Harper the crib.
Once they fell asleep though, it was a good long nap and they were still asleep when Kelly and Lexi got home at 3:15.

Baby wannabes

Rielee had her Thursday playdate with Jillian, and Cathy brought her home today. Cathy said Jillian had been so excited to see the babies, but she ran in and right past the babies to the baby equipment, namely the walker. It was so cute, she climbed right in and made herself comfortable, then Rielee got into the stroller. Then they found some old baby bottles so they could pretend they were babies, and they stayed there until it was time for Cathy and Jillian to go. Auna got to play with Ava and Harper after school. They both put on quite the jumping show for her in their Jumperoo.

Auna took some pictures of them, and I thought it was fun that she took the one below of back of their little bald heads.

Yesterday I had a little discussion with Rielee about her wanting to be on TV. It seems that she actually wants to live with the people on TV, namely ICarly. She asked how she could get "in the TV to be with those people", I tried to explain the concept of acting and that it was all pretend, that she could be an actress when she got older, but she could not understand any of it. She got very upset and sad that she couldn't just crawl in the TV and visit all those fun people.

Wednesday

Rielee has learned how to pick up the babies when they are on the floor, she sits behind them and lifts them under the arms and pulls them in front of her. She and Harper were watching a little SpongeBob while I made breakfast. She is really the little helper now days, wiping their faces, trying to feed them cereal and bottles, changing diapers, she tries to do it all. With the exception of one little episode of bouncing a ball off Ava's forehead, she did well with them today (it was a softy ball, we made her put the hard plastic one she was playing with first away)! Rielee shared her bath this morning, first with Harper. Both babies love being in the tub with her, so much to look at. Ava actually took 2 additional soda baths in the sink today, due to a bad diaper rash. We went through several changes of clothes and towels today trying to "air" her out and dry up the rash, but it didn't look a lot better so Kelly called the dr. and picked up some other ointment for it.
Both babies woke up at 7 this morning, what happened to them sleeping in? By about 9 they went down for naps and slept for over 2 hours, giving Rielee and I time to color, make some cardamom bread and start a puzzle. Des had brought a big bag of baby clothes for the twins that her niece had grown out of, so Rielee helped me wash, dry and fold them. Every day she picks out what clothes the babies will wear.

Ava and Harper this afternoon, waiting to load up, both playing with their socks. The little darlings fell asleep for the ride home, so did Grandma.

Highchair time

Dressing them in matching jumpers made them look even more alike today. I've always thought that Harper (on the right with the drool drops) resembled her Daddy and that her expressions were often like his, but today all of a sudden I thought that of Ava. When we met Charb today, he mentioned the very same thing. Daddy's girls, except for those big blue eyes, of course.

Tried giving them their mixed cereal with a little banana mixed in it today, Ava ate a little bit,

but Harper wasn't impressed. She really liked sitting in the highchair though. Laury came over in the morning to visit (now she just sticks her head in the door and asks if we have any babies here!). Steve said he was going to just put a sign out on the porch for her that says "BABIES" or "NO BABIES".... Alan stopped by, too and played with the girls and took lots of pictures of them. Ava seemed to like having her picture taken. Auna came over after school. I had just gotten Ava to sleep, she had been so cranky and tired and was ready to lay her down, but when she heard Auna's voice she woke up and smiled, ready to play some more. She stayed awake until it was time to go home, but was fast asleep by the time we hit the freeway.

Rielee was anxious to get out and "shoot baskets" after school today. Papa is teaching her how to guard and bounce pass and how to shoot correctly. So far he says she is very coachable, so far.

I Rielee

After sitting unused for years, our basketball hoop is back in business. It now has a new net, Papa pressure washed the concrete pad and we bought the kids a couple of new balls to play with. We found a junior size pink one for Rielee and she was thrilled with it, even wrote her name on it so no one would take it. We went out after lunch and with the small ball and the lowered hoop, she can actually make baskets so it was a lot of fun for her.
Later in the day we took Rielee and Parker in to the Y for their swimming lessons. Rielee told me on the way there that she really wanted to be on TV when she grew up. I reminded her that she doesn't even like me to take videos of her anymore, she got frustrated and said "well, fine then, go ahead Grandma, but I mean it-when I grow up I want to live on TV". Makes me wonder what she has been watching lately...?

Sunday

Went to Camas about 5 today, Kelly needed us to watch Ava and Harper so she could go to visit her best friend who was having a baby, and Charb wasn't due back from Colorado until 10 or so. We played with them for a little while, put their jammies on, they ate and were asleep by 7:30. They had spent the day at Lexi's softball games and were tired out. They woke up briefly at 8:30 and ate a couple more ounces and went right back to sleep until Kelly got back just at 10. Kelly said Harper's newest trick is that she will "growl" and then laugh. We had hoped she would do it for us, but no luck tonight.

TGIF

James on the phone getting the okay to spend the night at Parker's house. Parker on the phone calling Boris to see if he can spend the night, too. Parker spent a good chunk of his afternoon trying to break into his treehouse since he had misplaced the key. After he took off the hasp and beat the lock off of it, he found another lock and put it all back together again...Papa later found the key out in the yard while he was mowing.

The boys were out back shooting baskets, they like this hoop since it is lowered and they can dunk the ball. I tried to take pictures of both of them, but just couldn't time the shots right. James finally took over and got these of Parker.

I went to Camas today to watch Ava and Harper. No pictures of them since I left the memory card in our computer. I thought I would try taking them to Walmart this morning, thinking I would be able to put one carseat in the kid seat of the shopping cart and the other inside it. Unfortunately, the carseat wouldn't fit in the kid seat, and the babies can't sit up well enough yet really to put one of them in the seat, besides they were asleep, so we just went home. I was wishing I had thought to bring the stroller so I could have gone to Penneys. Kelly called about noon and asked if I could bring the babies to the school so the gals in the office could see them, both girls were napping so I let them sleep for a little while and got them to the school at 1:30.

Rielee the diaperer

Ava in the Jumparoo, she wore herself out yesterday bouncing. Charb said she was really tired and cranky in the evening, but conked out at 9 p.m. and slept till 5 a.m.

Rielee changed diapers on both of the girls today. It was kind of a wrestling match with Harper, who kept trying to roll over and escape, and her diaper would have worked with low-rise jeans, but it stayed on. Rielee had no patience for all the snaps on the onesies, though, telling me to finish that part and she would take the pictures.

Rielee got to play with Jillian at Aunt Cathy's today. They were riding down the hill on the lawn on a little car when I picked her up, being little speed demons. She loves playing with Jillian.

A slightly leaning-over picture of the them, it is so difficult to get a picture before they react in their happiness by arching their backs which sends them flopping over or scooting down in the chair. They are such happy girls, quick to smile and laugh nowdays. We tried feeding them some of the cereal Kelly sent with them this morning, Harper ate a tiny bit but Ava wasn't interested at all.

Busy kids

Ava wearing Rielee's hat this morning. They were happy girls despite not being able to sleep in like they usually do since Rielee just couldn't leave them alone, she kept saying "I'm just looking at them Grandma!" until after, oh maybe 5 minutes, when I hear "Grandma, she's smiling at me!"
Ava and Harper were really paying attention today when Papa and I were eating lunch, Harper was grabbing at my plate and both girls were just staring at us, watching the food go from the plate to our mouths. I called Kelly and she said they did that last night at dinner, too, but they still won't eat their cereal so she's going to try them on something else.

We bought a used stroller off Craigslist to push the babies around in, deciding to get single strollers so the kids could help push them.

This is Rielee and Harper-the stroller got a lot of use today, first Rielee took her baby for a ride and delivered cookies to Uncle Alan and Aunt Laury, then we took Harper out for a stroll over to Rielee's house where she showed me how she could ride her bike. She said it was a lot more fun pushing a real baby! After that, she took Ava for a ride with Papa and showed him the bike riding. She surprised everyone last weekend by just hopping on her bike and taking off riding, with no help at all.

Papa playing with Harper, he said "Fish On!"

Papa reading Rielee an Eric Carle book after they got back from the library, she loves all of his books, but especially Brown Bear, Brown Bear and Polar Bear, Polar Bear, books she wants to check out on every trip to the library, today they couldn't find Polar Bear and she was in tears until the librarian told her officially that both copies were checked out. Another book she brought home was a Richard Scary book about life in Busytown, which aptly decribes our Wednesdays with Rielee, Ava, and Harper. These days fly by.

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Happy baby-lovin' Auna demostrating how to feed both babies at the same time.

Big girls

Harper chewing on her blanket

Ava in the saucer, she loves that mirror

Ava (on the left)-the drool machine

The girls had their last respiratory shot this morning and Ava weighed 15 lbs. 12 ounces and Harper weighed 14 lbs. 11 ounces. They are 7 months old now, and Lexi pointed out that they weigh 5 times what they weighed when they were born. I had to take a picture of Ava's little dimpled hand because its just so fun to see them this pudgy after seeing them so tiny when they were born. I was thinking today how it is easier to take care of them by myself now since they play for longer periods, but packing them both around isn't getting easier. I told them today as I was struggling to get up off the floor while holding one of them--that Grandma really needs to lift more weights! Ava is starting to scoot backwards on her tummy now, and it is sure funny to put them both on their tummies and watch their little arms and legs flailing around as they try so hard to figure out how to crawl. Having twin grandbabies is so special, might be twice the work but you are rewarded with twice the smiles and giggles, oh, and they love my singing, they actually smile when I sing. All the other kids would stop crying maybe but just stare at me...

Oh, and something else I have forgotten to write about, Harper can pick up things with her toes, she definitely takes after her Grandma.